Bubba Watson is hard to beat in a playoff.
The long-driving lefty made an 8-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole on Sunday to outlast Paul Casey for his second Travelers Championship victory.
Watson improved to 5-1 in overtime.
Photo: AFP
Casey overcame a three-stroke deficit with five to play, catching Watson at 16-under 264 in light rain at TPC River Highlands.
However, the 37-year-old Englishman, playing the tournament for the first time, lost his chance at the title while playing the par-four 18th for the third time that day, when his third shot from a greenside bunker flew over the green and landed on the cart path.
Watson hit his 160-yard approach just to the right of the hole to set up his winning putt.
“I hung on, and that’s what you have to do sometimes to win,” 36-year-old Watson said.
Watson, who also needed extra holes to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in China in November last year at the start of the season, won the Travelers in 2010 in a three-way playoff for his first win on the PGA Tour.
“It’s just about staying calm,” he said. “That’s what you have to do, you just breathe and walk slower, take some deep breaths and focus on the fact that no matter what, you still come in second place.”
Watson had a chance to win in regulation. However, the two-time Masters champion bogeyed the 17th, while Casey closed with three birdies on the final five holes, sandwiched around a bogey on 15.
Casey watched in the scoring trailer with nine-month-old son Lex on his lap as Watson made a 3.5-foot par putt to force the playoff.
Watson finished with a 67, while Casey carded a 65.
“There are always ifs and buts and could haves, but the goal was to give myself a chance to win, and I did that,” Casey said.
This was the sixth time since 2004 this tournament has gone to overtime.
Brian Harman, who had a one-stroke lead after 54 holes, had a 69 to finish a stroke out of the playoff. After 39 straight holes without a bogey, he had back-to-back bogeys on No. 9 and No. 10 to fall two strokes behind Watson. His birdies on the final two holes were not enough to catch Casey and Watson.
However, the finish assured the 28-year-old from Georgia a spot in the British Open, along with Canadian Graham DeLaet, who finished two shots back, Carl Pettersson who finished fifth at 13-under and Luke Donald, who tied for seventh at 11-under. Sixth-place finisher Zach Johnson already had an exemption into the field.
“I’ve been thinking about that tournament for a long time and really trying to look at a way to get in there,” Harman said. “This one burns a little bit, but that definitely helps the sting.”
The Travelers was the first of three PGA Tour events where finishers not already exempt can get into St Andrew’s. There are also four spots available at the Greenbrier Classic and one at the John Deere Classic.
Watson became the sixth multiple winner of this tournament, joining Billy Casper (1963, 1965, 1968, 1973), Arnold Palmer (1956, 1960), Paul Azinger (1987, 1989), Phil Mickelson (2001, 2002), Peter Jacobsen (1984, 2003) and Stewart Cink (1997, 2008).
Rain forced a late start on Sunday, and the players went off in threesomes from two tees. However, the wet weather also created scoring opportunities, with players taking advantage of the soft greens to shoot for the pins.
Watson started strong with birdies on his first two holes, chiding a fan on the second hole who had suggested he go under a tree with a four-iron. Watson used a wedge that he hit to 6 feet.
He seemed to lock up the championship on the 13th, where he sank a 39-foot putt for eagle, his longest made putt of the tournament.
His approach at 14 ended up 13-feet right of the pin, but his birdie putt ended up on the front lip of the cup.
“I was hoping nobody else would birdie, but Paul Casey decided he wanted to birdie some holes to make it interesting,” Watson said.
Casey began the day tied for fourth, but moved up quickly. His second shot at the third hole bounced once from 126 yards out and went straight into the hole for an eagle. He also made a 64-footer for birdie on the par-three eighth hole.
Casey made a 6-foot putt for birdie on the 16th, and a 15-footer on 17 to stay in contention. Watson lost his lead after hitting his approach on 17 to the right of the hole behind two bunkers.
Both Watson and Casey hit par on the first playoff hole. However, on the second, Watson’s tee shot went down the middle, while Casey found bunkers on his first two shots.
“It does remind me of 2010, where coming down the stretch I had to hit some good shots and I didn’t,” Watson said.
“I wish it was a lot easier, but a victory is a victory,” he added.
Watson led after the first two rounds, but was a stroke back of Harman after Saturday. He became the fifth golfer to win this tournament since 2000 after leading or being tied for the lead going into the second round.
He also moved closer to his career goal.
“My whole goal in my career was to get 10 wins,” he said. “I need two more wins.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that